Renovate Your Way To Love

by Emily Bolls

“But how could you not spend your first married Christmas together?!?”

My coworker wouldn’t let it go; she must have asked me ten times. Despite feeling annoyed at her judgmental tone, I started to think maybe she had a point. Aren’t newlyweds supposed to sip from each other’s eggnog mugs, sneak kisses under the mistletoe, and surprise each other with thoughtful gifts?

Not Ryan and I. While I was in San Francisco eating cracked crab with my family, Ryan spent Christmas Eve with our plumber.

Six months after getting married, and four months after moving from the Bay Area to Portland, Oregon, in search of a less stressful and more affordable lifestyle,we bought our first home.

A 1908 four-square with three bedrooms, hardwood floors, a full basement, and a garage, the house met most of our criteria. For reasons I have never been quite able to articulate, I didn’t fall in love with the house when we found it. But Ryan had a vision for it—landscape the backyard, maybe convert the attic to a master suite, and upgrade the kitchen and bath—and its location, across the street from a park and within walking distance of coffee shops, restaurants, and a great bookstore, ultimately won me over.